The Esbat takes place on the nights of the New Moon and the nights of
the Full Moon. On these nights, the Coven usually does any kind of magical
work and business they need to. It is enacted, hopefully every Full Moon.

Set up: Place a candle in each of the four cardinal directions.Lay the
rest of the tools on the altar cloth or near it. The altar can be on the
ground, a table, a rock or a stump. The altar should be in the center or
just north of center of the Circle. Light the six candles and the incense,
start the music and begin the ritual.

THE RITUAL

Facing North, the High Priest and Priestess kneel in front ofthe altar
with him to her right. She puts the bowl of water on the altar, places
the point of her athame in it and says:

"I exorcise thee, O Creature of Water, that thou cast out from
thee all impurities and uncleanliness of the world of phantasm; in
the names of Cernunnos and Aradia"

She then puts down her athame and holds up the bowl of waterwith both
hands. The High Priest puts the bowl of salt on the altar, puts his athame
in the salt and says:

"Blessings be upon this Creature of Salt; let all malignity and
hindrance be cast forth hencefrom, and let all good enter herein;
wherefore so I bless thee,that thou mayest aid me, in the names
of Cernunnos and Aradia."

He then puts down his athame and pours the salt into the bowl of water
the High Priestess is holding. The High Priest then stands with the rest
of the Coven outside the Circle. The HighPriestess then draws the Circle
with the sword, leaving a gapin the Northeast section. While drawing the
Circle, she should visualize the power flowing into the Circle from off
the end of the
sword. She draws the Circle in a East to North or deosil or clockwise
direction. She says:

"I conjure thee, O Circle of Power, that thou beest a meeting
place of love and joy and truth; a shield against all wickedness
and evil; a boundary between men and the realms of the Mighty Ones;
a rampart and protection that shall preserve and contain the power
that we shall raise within thee. Wherefore do I bless thee and consecrate
thee, in the names of Cernunnos and Aradia."

The High Priestess lays down the sword and admits the HighPriest with
a kiss while spinning him deosil and whispers "Bless Be". He then admits
a women the same way. Alternate male female male. Then the High Priestess
finishes closing the Circle with the sword. She then names three witches
to help strengthen the Circle. The first witch carries the bowl of consecrated
water from East to East going deosil, sprinkling the perimeter as she/he
goes. They then sprinkle each member inturn. If the witch is male, he sprinkles
the High Priestess last who then sprinkles him. If female she sprinkles
the HighPriest last, who then
sprinkles her. The bowl is replaced on the altar. The second witch
takes the incense burner around the perimeter and the third takes one of
the altar candles. While going around the perimeter, each person says:

"Black spirits and white,
Red spirits and grey,
Harken to the rune I say.
Four points of the Circle, weave the spell,
East, South, West, North, your tale tell.
East is for break of day,
South is white for the noontide hour,
In the West is twilight grey,
And North is black, for the place of power.
Three times round the Circle's cast.
Great ones, spirits from the past,
Witness it and guard it fast."

All the Coven pickup their athames and face the East with the High Priest
and Priestess in front, him on her right. The HighPriestess says:

"Ye Lords of the Watchtowers of the East, ye Lords of Air;
I do summon, stir, and call you up to witness our rites and to guard the
Circle."

As she speaks she draws the Invoking Pentagram of Earth in the air with
her athame:
2
4
5

6 1 3
The High Priest and the rest of the Coven copy her movements with their
athames.
The High Priestess turns and faces the South and repeats the summoning:

"Ye Lords of the Watchtowers of the South, ye Lords of Fire;
I do summon, stir and call you up, to witness our rites and to guard the
Circle."

She does the same pentagram and then faces West and says:

"Ye Lords of the Watchtowers of the West, ye Lords of Water, ye
Lords of Death and Initiation; I do summon, stir, and call you up, to witness
our rites and to guard the Circle."

She faces North with rest of the Coven and says:

"Ye Lords of the Watchtowers of the North, ye Lords of Earth;
Boreas, thou gentle guardian of the Northern Portals; thou powerful God
and gentle Goddess; we do summon, stir and call you up, to witness our
rites and to guard the Circle."

The Circle is completed and sealed. If anyone needs to leave, a gate
must be made. Using the sword, draw out part of the Circle with a widdershins
or counterclockwise stroke. Immediately reseal it and then repeat the opening
and closing when the person returns. In this part of the ritual,
the Goddess becomes incarnate in the High Priestess. The High Priestess
stands in front of the altar with her back to it. She holds the wand in
her right handand the scrounge in her left. She crosses her wrists
and crosses the wand and scrounge above them while holding them close
to her breast. The High Priest stands in front of her and says:

"Diana, queen of night
In all your beauty bright,
Shine on us here,
And with your silver beam
Unlock the gates of dream;
Rise bright and clear.
On Earth and sky and sea,
Your magic mystery
Its spell shall cast,
Wherever leaf may grow,
Wherever tide may flow,
Till all be past.
O secret queen of power,
At this enchanted hour
We ask your boon.
May fortune's favor fall
Upon true witches all,
O Lady Moon!"

The High Priest kneels before the High Priestess and gives herthe Five
Fold Kiss; that is, he kisses her on both feet, both knees, womb, both
breasts, and the lips, starting with the right of each pair. He says, as
he does this:

"Blessed be thy feet, that have brought thee in these ways.
Blessed be thy knees, that shall kneel at the sacred altar.
Blessed be thy womb, without which we would not be.
Blessed be thy breasts, formed in beauty.
Blessed be thy lips, that shall utter the Sacred Names."

For the kiss on the lips, they embrace, length to length, with their
feet touching each others. When he reaches the womb, she spreads her arms
wide, and the same after the kiss on the lips. The High Priest kneels again
and invokes:

"I invoke thee and call upon thee, Mighty Mother of us all, bringer
of all fruitfulness; by seed and root, by bud and stem, by leaf and
flower and fruit, by life and love do I invoke thee to descend upon the
body of this thy servant and priestess."

During this invocation he touches her with his right forefinger on her
right breast, left breast, and womb, repeats the set and finally the right
breast. Still kneeling, he spreads his armsout and down, with the
palms forward and says:

"Hail Aradia! From the Amalthean Horn
Pour forth thy store of love; I lowly bend
Before thee, I adore thee to the end,
With loving sacrifice thy shrine adore.
Thy foot is to my lip
(he kisses her right foot)
my prayer up borne
Upon the rising incense smoke; then spend
Thine ancient love, O Mighty One, descend
To aid me, who without thee am forlorn."

The High Priest stands up and steps backwards. The HighPriestess draws
the Invoking Pentagram of Earth in the air with the wand and says as the
Goddess:

"Of the Mother darksome and divine
Mine the scrounge, and mine the kiss;
The five point star of love and bliss
Here I charge you in this sign."

The High Priest starts off by saying:

"Listen to the words of the Great Mother; she who of old was also
called among man Artemis, Astarte, Athene, Dione, Melusine, Aphrodite,
Cerriwen, Dana, Arianhod, Isis and by many other names."

The High Priestess, who should be in a trance, says as the Goddess:

"Whenever you have need of anything, once in a month, and better
it be
when the Moon is full, then shall ye assemble in some secret
place and
adore the spirit of me, who am Queen of all witches. There shall
ye
assemble, ye who are fain to learn all sorcery, yet have not
won its
deepest secrets; to these will I teach things that are yet unknown.
And ye shall be free from slavery; and as a sign that ye be really
free,
ye shall be naked in your rites; dance, sing, feast, make music
and
love, all in my praise. For mine is the ecstasy of the spirit,
and
mine also is joy on earth; for my law is love unto all beings.
Keep
pure your highest ideal; strive ever towards it; let naught stop
you
or turn you aside. For mine is the cup of the wine of life, and
the
Cauldron of Cerridwen, which is the Holy Grail of Immortality.
I am
the gracious Goddess, who gives the gift of joy unto the heart
of man.
Upon Earth, I give the knowledge of the spirit eternal; and beyond
death, I give peace and freedom, and reunion with those who have
gone
before. Nor do I demand sacrifice; for behold I am the Mother
of all
living things, and my love is poured out upon the earth. I who
am the
white Moon among the stars, and the mystery of the waters, and
the
desire of the heart of man, call unto thy soul. Arise, and come
unto
me. For I am the soul of nature, who gives life to the universe.
From
me all things proceed, and unto me all things must return; and
before
my face, beloved of Gods and men, let thine innermost divine
self be
enfolded in the rapture of the infinite. Let my worship be within
the
heart that rejoiceth; for behold, all acts of love and
pleasure are
my rituals. And therefore let there be beauty and strength, power
and
compassion, honour and humility, mirth and reverence within you.
And
thou who seekest to seek for me, know thy seeking and yearning
shall
avail thee not unless thou knowest the mystery; and if that which
thou
seekest thou findest not within thee,thou will never find it
without
thee. For behold, I have been with thee from the beginning; and
I am
that which is attained at the end of desire."

The High Priest faces the Priestess and says:

"We thank you Our Lady for attending our rites. We bid you farewell
till next we call you. Blessed Be."

The Witches' Creed should be said by the entire Coven.

"Hear now the words of the witches,
The secrets we hid in the night,
When dark was our destiny's pathway,
That now we bring forth into the light.
Mysterious Water and Fire,
The Earth and the wideranging Air,
By hidden quintessence we know them,
And will keep silent and dare.
The birth and rebirth of all nature,
The passing of winter and spring,
We share with the life universal,
Rejoice in the magical ring.
Four times in the year the Great Sabbat
Returns, and the witches are seen
At Lammas and Candlemas dancing,
On May Eve and old Hallowe'en.
When day time and night time are equal,
When sun is at greatest and least,
The four lesser Sabbats are summoned,
Again witches gather in feast.
Thirteen silver moons in a year are,
Thirteen is the Coven's array.
Thirteen times at Esbat make merry,
For each golden year and a day.
The power was passed down the ages,
Each time between woman and man,
Each century unto the other,
Ere time and ages began.
When drawn is the magical circle,
By sword or athame of power,
It's compass between the two worlds lies,
In the land of shades that hour.
This world has no right to know it,
And the world beyond will tell naught.
The oldest of gods are invoked there,
The Great Work of Magic is wrought.
For two are the mystical pillars,
That stand at the gate of the shrine,
And two are the powers of nature,
The forms and the forces of the divine.
The dark and the light in succession,
The opposites each unto each,
Shown forth as a God and a Goddess:
This did our ancestors teach.
By night he's the wild wind's rider,
The Horn'd One, the Lord of the Shades.
By day he's the King of the Woodland,
The dweller in green forest glades.
She is youthful or old as she pleases,
She sails the torn clouds in her barque,
The bright silver lady of midnight,
The crone who weaves spells in the dark.
The master and mistress of magic,
They dwell in the deeps of the main,
Immortal and ever renewing,
With power to free or to bind.
So drink the good wine to the Old Gods,
And dance and make love in their praise,
Till Elphames's fair land shall receive us
In peace at the end of our days.
And Do What Thou Wilt shall be the challenge,
So be it in love that harms none,
For this is the only commandment,
By magic of old, be it done!
Eight words the Witches Creed fulfill:
If It Harms None, Do What Thou Will!

The High Priest and High Priestess face the altar. The HighPriest continues:

"Great God Cernunnos, return to Earth again!
Come to my call and show thy self to men.
Shepherd of Goats, upon the wild hill's way,
Lead thy lost flocks from darkness unto day.
Forgotten are the ways of sleep and night
Men seek for them, whose eyes have lost the light.
Open the door of dreams, whereby man come to thee.
Shepherd of Goats, O answer unto me!"

The High Priest and the rest of the Coven then say:

"Akhera goittiakhera beitti!"

This invocation can be said by anyone or everyone.

"Diana of the rounded moon,
The Queen of all enchantments here,
The wind is crying through the trees,
And we invoke thee to appear.
The cares of day departed are,
The realm of might belongs to thee;
And we in love and kinship join
With all things wild and free.
As powers of magic round us move,
Now let time's self dissolve and fade.
Here in the place between the worlds
May we be one with nature made.
Thy consort is the Horn'd One,
Whose sevenfold pipes make music sweet.
Old Gods of life and love and light,
Be here as merrily we meet!
For ye the circle's round we tread,
And unto ye the wine we pour;
The sacred Old Ones of this land,
Ye we invoke by ancient lore
By magic moon and pagan spell,
By all the secrets of the night,
Dreams and desires and mystery,
Borne on the moonbeams' silver light.
Now may we hear, or may we see,
Or may we know within the heart,
A token of true magic made,
Ere from this circle we depart."

Pause and wait in silence. There may come a sound, an outward sign or
inner vision. When you feel the time is right, end the period of silence
by bowing towards the altar and saying:

"O GoddessQueen of Night,
O Horn'd One of might,
In earth and sky and sea
May peace and blessing be!"

Relax. You can also do any other magic craft at this time.
The Coven, except for the High Priestess and High Priest, arrange
themselves around the perimeter of the circle, man and woman alternately
as far as possible, facing the center. The High Priestess and
High Priest stand facing each otherin the center of the circle, she
with her back to the altar, he with his back to the South.

The High Priest kneels before the High Priestess and gives her
the Five Fold Kiss; that is, he kisses her on both feet, both knees,
womb, both breasts, and the lips, starting with the right of each
pair. He says, as
he does this:

"Blessed be thy feet, that have brought thee in these ways.
Blessed be thy knees, that shall kneel at the sacred altar.
Blessed be thy womb, without which we would not be.
Blessed be thy breasts, formed in beauty.
Blessed be thy lips, that shall utter the Sacred Names.

For the kiss on the lips, they embrace, length to length, with their
feet touching each others. When he reaches the womb, she spreads her arms
wide, and the same after the kiss on the lips. The High Priestess then
lays herself down, face upwards, with her arms and legs outstretched to
form the Pentagram. The High Priest fetches the veil and spreads
it over the High
Priestess's body, covering her from breasts to knees. He then
kneels facing her, with his knees between her feet.
The High Priest calls a woman witch by name, to bring his athame
from the altar. The woman does so and stands with the athame in her
hands, about a yard to the West of the HighPriestess's hips and facing
her. The High Priest calls a male witch by name, to bring the
chalice of wine from the altar. He does so and stands with
the chalice in his hands, about a yard to the East of the HighPriestess's
hips and facing her.

The High Priest delivers the invocation:

"Assist me to erect the ancient altar, at which in days past
all worshipped;
The altar of all things.
For in old time, Woman was the altar.
Thus was the altar made and placed,
And the sacred place was the point within the center of the
Circle.
As we have of old been taught that the point within the center
is the
origin of all things,
Therefore should we adore it;
Therefore whom we adore we also invoke.
O Circle of Stars,
Whereof our father is but the younger brother,
Marvel beyond imagination, soul of infinite space,
Before whom time is ashamed, the mind bewildered, and the
understanding dark,
Not unto thee may we attain unless thine image be love.
Therefore by seed and stem, root and bud,
And leaf and flower and fruit do we invoke thee,
O Queen of Space, O Jewel of Light,
Continuous one of the heavens;
Let it be ever thus
That men speak not of thee as One, but as None;
And let them not speak of thee at all, since thou art
continuous.
For thou art the point within the Circle, which we adore;
The point of life, without which we would not be.
And in this way truly are erected the holy twin pillars;
In beauty and strength were they erected
To the wonder and glory of all men."

The High Priest removes the veil from the High Priestess's body,and
hands it
to the woman witch, from whom he takes his athame.
The High Priestess rises and kneels facing the High Priest,and
takes
the chalice from the man witch. (Note that both of these handingsover
are done without the customary ritual kiss. The High Priest continues
the invocation:

"Altar of mysteries manifold,
The sacred Circle's secret point
Thus do I sign thee as of old,
With kisses of my lips anoint."

The High Priest kisses the High Priestess on the lips, and continues:

"Open for me the secret way,
The pathway of intelligence,
Beyond the gates of night and day,
Beyond the bounds of time and sense.
Behold the mystery aright
The five true points of fellowship...."

The High Priestess holds up the chalice, and the High Priest lowers
the point of his athame into the wine. Both use both of their hands for
this. The High Priest continues:

"All life is your own,
All fruits of the Earth
Are fruits of your womb,
Your union, your dance.
Lady and Lord,
We thank you for blessings and abundance.
Join with us, Feast with us, Enjoy with us!
Blessed Be.

Then, either the High Priestess or one of the other women draws
the Invoking Pentacle of Earth in the air above the plate with the
athame. The High Priest hands his athame to the woman witch and then
places both his hands round those of the HighPriestess as she holds
the chalice. He kisses her, and she sips the wine; she kisses him,
and he sips the wine. Both of them keep their hands round the chalice
while they do this.

The High Priest then takes the chalice from the HighPriestess,
and they both rise to their feet.

The High Priest hands the chalice to a woman witch with akiss,
and she sips. She gives it to a man with a kiss.the chalice is passed
around the Coven, man to woman, with a kiss each time, until the
entire Coven has sipped the wine. the chalice can berefilled and
any one can drink from it without repeating the ritual once the chalice
has gone around once.

The woman lays down her athame and passes the cakes to the man
with a kiss, he passes them back with a kiss and they are passed
around the Coven the same way the wine was. Be sure to save some of the
wine and some cake for an offering to the Earthand the Little Folk.
After the meeting,leave the offering outside of the house if working
indoors, or behind in the woods or field, when you leave if you are
working outdoors.

The High Priestess faces East,with her athame in her hand. The High
Priest stands to her right with the rest of the Coven behind them. If any
tools have been consecrated, they should be held bythe person furthest
to the back. The Maiden stands near to the front to blow out each candle
in turn. The Priestess says:

"Ye Lords of the Watchtowers of the East, ye Lords of Air; we
do thank you for attending our rites; and ere ye depart
to your pleasant and lovely realms, we bid you hail and farewell
....Hail and farewell."

As she speaks, she draws the Banishing Pentagram of Earth in the air
in front of her thus, each time:
2
4
5

6 1
3
The rest of the Coven copy the Pentagram and chorus in on the second
hail and farewell. The Maiden blows out the candle and the Coven faces
the south and the High Priestess says:

"Ye Lords of the Watchtowers of the South, ye Lords of Fire;
we do thank you for attending our rites; and ere ye depart to your pleasant
and lovely realms, we bid you hail and farewell....Hail and
farewell."

She turns to the West and says:

"Ye Lords of the Watchtowers of the West, ye Lords of Water; ye
Lords of Death and Initiation; we do thank you for attending our
rites; and ere ye depart to your pleasant and lovely realms, we bid you
hail and farewell....Hail and farewell."

She turns to the North and says:

"Ye Lords of the Watchtowers of the North, ye Lords of Earth;
Boreas, thou gentle guardian of the Northern Portals;
thou powerful God, Thou gentle Goddess; we do thank you for
attending our rites; and ere ye depart for your pleasant and
lovely realms, we bid you hail and farewell....Hail and farewell."

This ends the Circle. Bless Be.

(Via Seastrider, resposible for the typing and Ravensong for editing
into
ASCII)